On the surface, Peter Lawford lived a charmed life. He enjoyed a successful career as an entertainer and leading man, married into one of the most high-profile families in American history, and was a member of the famed Rat Pack. Yet despite his success Lawford ultimately died a tragic figure. From the beginning, English-born Lawford …
Since the 1960s, Japan has been an important part of the story of the Ivy League Look, and during a few dark periods the island nation has played an important role in preventing the style from possible extinction. Anyone interested in the Ivy-Japan connection will eventually encounter the name Kensuke Ishizu — perhaps on the …
Sounds like a title for a museum exhibit, doesn’t it? And no, this isn’t Rob Lowe, but an avid Ivy Style reader who might just have missed his calling in Hollywood.
For the really, REALLY hardcore JFK fan, a chance to buy his 1959 Brooks Brothers boxers. Just think of the action they’ve seen. Yours on eBay for a mere $2,600.
Tom Davis, one of the few octogenarian haberdashers who has worked since the heyday of the Ivy League Look, will be joining J. Press at its new New York location, which is scheduled to open within the next few weeks. Mr. Davis spent some four decades running the made-to-measure shirt program at Brooks Brothers’ Madison …
Hugh Hefner, who once hosted a TV show called “Playboy’s Penthouse” in which he talked about Ivy League suits before becoming a full-time pajama wearer, has died at the age of 91. He will be remembered for many things, chief among them the association of pipesmoking with promiscuity. Here are Ivy Style’s posts on Hefner …
If you thought the battle to dress JFK was competitive, imagine the skirmish over his scent. According to a New York Daily News piece recently dispatched to Ivy Style HQ, there were four fragrances associated with the late president. Two are familiar, and two probably not. The four fragrances are: Jockey Club by Caswell Massey, …
On this long holiday weekend we revisit this 2013 post, which is dedicated to longtime reader RM. * * * Earlier this month the Dallas Morning News did a style tribute to JFK. There’s plenty to nitpick in the story, including the awkwardly oxymoronic line that Kennedy’s style influence is “arguably eternal,” but there were …
The New York Post reports today on more drink-fueled shenaningans in the Kennedy clan — including the recent arrests of Max and Caroline for disorderly conduct — along with a history of the family’s near constant state of scandal. Writes the Post of the family’s Hyannis Port hijinks: The privileged air of those carrying the …
This photo of a young Mike Nichols is a fine illustration of bold simplicity. Although it’s the height of GTH season, and you’re likely reading this while wearing patch madras, do take note of the discreet combination of striped buttondown, solid tie (presumably in black or navy), and tank-style watch. Three classic, simple pieces that add …
Last week saw the passing of Julius Hertling at the age of 92. His eponymous menswear manufacturing firm made clothing for J. Press for decades. Richard Press invited me to join him at the memorial service for his longtime friend and colleague, where he had this to say about the man he affectionately called “Julie”: …
Today we lost legendary comedian Jerry Lewis at the age of 91. But the world still swings, thanks to the filmography he left behind, including this swanky number from 1963’s “The Nutty Professor.” — CC
Meet Ivy Style reader and Facebook group member TJ Aguilar, and have a look at his outfit. The first thing you’ll notice is the strong sense of whimsy: lobster-emblazoned sneakers, madras belt, collegiate crest tie given to him by a friend. Now for his serious side: Aguilar is a sergeant in the Tulsa County Sheriff …
An Ivy Style reader recently submitted this fine photo of composer Burt Bacharach circa 1966. Fans of the Great American Songbook will likely consider him the last in a line of succession that stretches back to the parlor tunes of the early 1900s. After Bacharach’s hits for Dionne Warwick in the late ’60s and early …
Remember the days when America had a president who would go sockless in penny loafers? Outside the Oval Office, that is. That president was a Kennedy, and in order to bring back that tradition, it will no doubt take another Kennedy. On Thursday Town & Country posted an interview with Joe Kennedy III with the headline …
Phil Sears Schoonmaker wears a black knit tie 98 percent of the time. This one preference serves as a symbol for his entire approach to dressing. Thirty-seven-year-old Schoonmaker, a New York-based business process consultant, is a living embodiment of the idea that less is more, of restrained taste and bold simplicity. With his superb balancing …
Several weeks ago I awoke on a bright Sunday morning and instead of going straight to the coffee and computer, I threw on my Sperry Top-Siders and took a walk around the block. It may sound mundane, but in my particular state of mind that morning, and at this particular juncture in my life’s journey, …
Earlier this week saw the passing of Adam West, the actor who played Batman — as well as Batman’s alter-ego, the billionaire Bruce Wayne — in the original TV series. The show ran just as the sun was setting on the Ivy heyday, but that didn’t stop Wayne from adopting fine outfits such as this. …
Today we revisit Chris Sharp’s 2012 piece on artist LeRoy Neiman. * * * As the Olympics draw to a close, my thoughts turn to the 1976 games in Montreal, which coincided with the American Bicentennial. If America had some maturity under her belt, I certainly did not. I was eight years old and the …